An optical touch sensitive apparatus includes a substrate, a plurality of image capturing lens modules, a light detecting unit, and an optical path switching unit. The substrate has an operation surface. Each of the image capturing lens modules has a light input end and a light output end. The light input end is located at the edge of the substrate for capturing optical information in an objective space above the operation surface. The light output end is for outputting the optical information. The optical path switching unit is located among the light output ends and the light detecting unit for transmitting the optical information outputted from at least one of the light output ends to the light detecting unit. In addition, an image capturing apparatus is provided.
|
1. An optical touch sensitive apparatus, comprising:
a substrate, having an operation surface;
a plurality of image capturing lens modules, each having a light input end and a light output end, the light input end being disposed on an edge of the substrate and located above the substrate for obtaining optical information in an objective space above the operation surface, and the light output end being configured for outputting the optical information, wherein the light input ends of the plurality of image capturing lens modules are disposed at four sides of the substrate;
a light detecting unit disposed under the substrate; and
an optical path switching unit disposed between the light output ends and the light detecting unit for transmitting the optical information alternately output from the light output ends to the light detecting unit;
wherein the substrate further comprises a back surface opposite to the operation surface, and the light detecting unit and the optical path switching unit are disposed at the back surface.
13. An optical touch sensitive apparatus, comprising:
a substrate, having an operation surface;
a plurality of image capturing lens modules, each having a light input end and a light output end, the light input end being disposed on an edge of the substrate and located above the substrate for obtaining optical information in an objective space above the operation surface, and the light output end being configured for outputting the optical information, wherein the light input ends of the plurality of image capturing lens modules are disposed at four sides of the substrate;
a light detecting unit disposed under the substrate; and
an optical path switching unit disposed between the light output ends and the light detecting unit for transmitting the optical information alternately output from the light output ends to the light detecting unit,
wherein the optical path switching unit comprises a reflective mirror and a swing mechanism connected to the reflective mirror, and configured to selectively swing the reflective mirror between a first position and a second position so that when the reflective mirror is in the first position, the optical information output from one of the light output ends is directly transmitted to the light detecting unit without being reflected by the reflective mirror, and when the reflective mirror is in the second position, the optical information output from another one of the light output ends is reflected to the light detecting unit by the reflective mirror.
2. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
3. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
4. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
5. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
6. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
7. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
8. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
9. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
10. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
11. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
12. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
14. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
15. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
16. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
17. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
18. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
19. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
20. The optical touch sensitive apparatus as recited in
|
The invention relates to a touch sensitive apparatus and an image capturing apparatus, and more particularly to an optical touch sensitive apparatus and an image capturing apparatus having a plurality of image capturing lens modules.
Touch sensitive function has become an important function of modern electronic devices. Commonly used touch sensitive modules which provide the touch sensitive function include resistive touch screens, capacitive touch screens, and optical touch screens. They have been adopted in a variety of electronic devices in different practical applications.
An optical touch sensitive module detects touched positions on the touch screen by way of optical detectors. No extra pressure needs to be applied onto the screen, but only touching or even approaching close to the screen is enough for the optical detectors to conduct detection. The optical touch sensitive module usually has a plurality of infrared light sources and light detecting units arranged around the module. The infrared light sources are used for emitting infrared light toward an objective space above the screen surface. Once an object is present in the objective space and blocks the infrared light, the resulting optical information can be captured by the light detecting units from different view angles, and then analyzed for obtaining positions and moving traces of the object in the objective space.
However, the cost of the light detecting unit is high, so the total cost of the optical touch sensitive module is high as well. Therefore, how to solve the problem of the high cost and to popularize the optical touch sensitive module is a major subject in this field.
The invention provides an optical touch sensitive apparatus, which is capable of solving the above mentioned problem of high cost of the light detecting unit.
The invention provides an optical touch sensitive apparatus, including a substrate, a plurality of image capturing lens modules, a light detecting unit, and an optical path switching unit. The substrate has an operation surface. Each of the image capturing lens modules has a light input end and a light output end. The light input end is disposed on an edge of the substrate for obtaining optical information in an objective space above the operation surface. The light output end is configured for outputting the optical information. The optical path switching unit is disposed between the light output ends and the light detecting unit for transmitting the optical information output from at least one of the light output ends to the light detecting unit.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the optical path switching unit transmits the optical information output from the light output ends to the light detecting unit in turn.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned substrate is a display panel.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned substrate is of a rectangular shape.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned optical touch sensitive apparatus includes two image capturing lens modules and both the light input ends of the image capturing lens modules are respectively disposed at two corners of the substrate.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the optical touch sensitive apparatus includes at least two above mentioned image capturing lens modules is at least two, and all the light input ends of the image capturing lens modules are respectively disposed at different corners of the substrate.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned substrate further has a back surface opposite to the operation surface, and the light detecting unit and the optical path switching unit are disposed at the back surface.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned optical path switching unit includes a reflective mirror and a swing mechanism connected to the reflective mirror, and the reflective mirror is swingable by the swing mechanism for reflecting the optical information output from at least one of the light output ends to the light detecting unit.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned optical path switching unit includes a reflective mirror and a swing mechanism connected to the reflective mirror, and configured to selectively swing the reflective mirror between a first position and a second position so that when the reflective mirror is in the first position the optical information output from one of the light output ends is directly transmitted to the light detecting unit and not reflected by the reflective mirror, and when the reflective mirror is in the second position the optical information output from another one of the light output ends is reflected to the light detecting unit by the reflective mirror.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned optical path switching unit includes a reflective mirror and a rotating mechanism connected to the reflective mirror, and the reflective mirror is rotatable by the rotating mechanism for reflecting the optical information output from at least one of the light output ends to the light detecting unit.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned optical path switching unit includes a plurality of micro mirror devices respectively disposed at positions corresponding to the light output ends for reflecting the optical information output from at least one of the light output ends to the light detecting unit.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned image capturing lens module includes a plurality of lenses and at least one reflective mirror.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned optical touch sensitive apparatus further includes a light source unit disposed at an edge of the operation surface for providing light for the light input ends to realize the optical information.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned light source unit includes a plurality of light guiding elements and a plurality of light emitting elements for providing light to the light guiding elements, such that the optical information is transmitted from the light guiding elements to the objective space above the operation surface.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned light source unit includes a plurality of reflective elements and a plurality of light emitting elements for providing light to the reflective elements, such that the optical information is reflected from the reflective elements to the objective space above the operation surface.
The invention further provides an image capturing apparatus, which is capable of solving the above mentioned problem of high cost of the light detecting unit.
The invention provides an image capturing apparatus, including a plurality of image capturing lens modules, a light detecting unit, and an optical path switching unit. Each of the image capturing lens modules has a light input end and a light output end. Any two of the light input ends of the image capturing lens modules have different fields of view which are not overlapped with each other. The light input ends receive optical information from an objective space. The light output ends are configured for outputting the optical information. The optical path switching unit is disposed between the light output ends and the light detecting unit for transmitting the optical information output from the light output ends to the light detecting unit in turn, and generating corresponding images by the light detecting unit.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned image capturing apparatus for used in a range finding system has two image capturing lens modules disposed at different locations and configured for receiving optical information provided by an object, the light detecting unit is configured for capturing the optical information received by the two image capturing lens modules and generating corresponding images, and thereby a value representing a distance of the object is calculated by the range finding system according to the images.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned optical path switching unit includes a reflective mirror and a swing mechanism connected to the reflective mirror, and the reflective mirror selectively swings with the swing mechanism for reflecting the optical information output from the light output ends to the light detecting unit in turn.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned optical path switching unit includes a reflective mirror, a swing mechanism connected to the reflective mirror, and configured to selectively swing the reflective mirror between a first position and a second position so that when the reflective mirror is in the first position the optical information output from one of the light output ends is directly transmitted to the light detecting unit and not reflected by the reflective mirror, and when the reflective mirror is in the second position the optical information output from the other one of the light output ends is reflected to the light detecting unit by the reflective mirror.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned optical path switching unit includes a reflective mirror and a rotating mechanism connected to the reflective mirror, and the reflective mirror is rotatable by the rotating mechanism for reflecting the optical information output from the light output ends to the light detecting unit in turn.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned optical path switching unit includes a plurality of micro mirror devices respectively disposed at positions corresponding to the light output ends for reflecting the optical information output from the light output ends to the light detecting unit in turn.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the above mentioned image capturing lens module includes a plurality of lenses and at least one reflective mirror.
The optical touch sensitive apparatus and the image capturing apparatus of the invention use only one light detecting unit. In comparison, the conventional optical touch sensitive apparatuses have to use more than one light detecting unit. Therefore, the apparatuses of the invention have the advantage of lower cost. Through the optical path switching unit, the optical information obtained by the image capturing lens modules is alternatively transmitted to the light detecting unit. In particular, the number of the image capturing lens modules of the optical path switching unit which has the rotating mechanism can be varied according to practical requirement.
The invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.
As shown in
Each of the image capturing lens modules 20 has a light input end 21 and a light output end 22. The light input ends 21 are respectively disposed at different edges of the substrate 10 and configured for obtaining optical information in an objective space above the operation surface 11. Any two light input ends 21 of the image capturing lens modules 20 have different fields of view, which are not completely overlapped with each other. The light output ends 22 are disposed at the back surface 12 of the substrate 10 and configured for outputting the optical information received by the light input ends 21. More specifically, each of the image capturing lens modules 20 has a plurality of lenses 23 and at least one reflective mirror 24, or other kinds of optical devices, used for transmitting the optical information received from the light input ends 21 to the light output ends 22. The number of the reflective mirrors 24 is, for example, two in this embodiment. They are respectively disposed between the lenses 23, but the invention is not limited thereto.
As shown in
Besides, the optical touch sensitive apparatus 100, for example, further includes a shell 70. The shell 70 is used for containing the image capturing lens modules 20, the light detecting unit 40 and the optical path switching unit 50 in order to prevent the interference of external light with the light detecting unit 40, the image capturing lens modules 20 and the optical path switching unit 50 and assure of the accuracy of the optical information.
A practical operation will be described herein with reference to
In this embodiment, since the optical path switching unit 50 alternately transmits the optical information of the two image capturing lens modules 20 to the light detecting unit 40, it is not necessary to use a corresponding number of light detecting units as in the prior art, and thus the cost for installing light detecting units can be saved.
It should be noted that the switching of the optical paths for alternately reflecting the optical information output from the light output end 22 to the light detecting unit 40 may be achieved with an equivalent structure instead of the above-mentioned switching unit 50. The structure of the optical path switching unit adapted to be used in the invention is not limited to the disclosed. In another embodiment, as
Similarly, when the light output end 22 at the right side outputs optical information, each of the micro mirrors of the active surface 56 facing toward the right side swings to positions parallel to the active surface 56. The active surface 56 is used as a reflective surface for reflecting the optical information to the light detecting unit 40. At the same time, each of the micro mirrors of the other active surface 56 facing toward the left side swings to positions parallel to the path of optical information. The optical information can pass through the active surface 56.
Besides, the light source unit 30 may be implemented with another structure to achieve the purpose of providing optical information to a zone above the operation surface 11. As
As shown in
The image capturing apparatus 400 of this embodiment not only can be used in the optical touch sensitive module, as
Compared to the conventional optical touch sensitive module that includes a plurality of light detecting units, the optical touch sensitive apparatus and the image capturing apparatus of the invention may include a reduced number of light detecting units relative to that of the image capturing lens modules, for example only one light detecting unit is included, for obtaining all the required optical information and is thus cost-efficient.
Furthermore, with the optical path switching unit, the optical information received by the image capturing lens modules can be transmitted to the light detecting unit in turn. In a specific embodiment, a swing mechanism and/or a rotating mechanism can be used for switching the light detecting unit among different states, and the configurations of the swing mechanism and the rotating mechanism can be varied according to practical requirement.
While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
4107522, | Nov 11 1975 | Erwin Sick Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung Optik-Elektronik | Rotary beam light curtain |
4239961, | Jan 23 1979 | Photoelectric light curtain using retroreflector | |
4294543, | Nov 13 1979 | Command Control & Communications Corporation | Optical system for developing point coordinate information |
4553842, | May 09 1983 | Wells-Gardner Electronics Corporation | Two dimensional optical position indicating apparatus |
4811004, | May 11 1987 | Dale Electronics, Inc. | Touch panel system and method for using same |
4820050, | Apr 28 1987 | Wells-Gardner Electronics Corporation | Solid-state optical position determining apparatus |
4980547, | May 24 1985 | Wells-Gardner Electronics Corp. | Light distribution and detection apparatus |
8130210, | Nov 30 2004 | AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP SINGAPORE PTE LTD | Touch input system using light guides |
20040212603, | |||
20050156100, | |||
20100328243, | |||
20110001727, | |||
20120176340, | |||
20120218228, | |||
20140340362, | |||
CN101369202, | |||
JP2007522652, | |||
TW201214244, | |||
TW420769, |
Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
May 09 2013 | CHENG, HSIN-CHI | PIXART IMAGING INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 030422 | /0257 | |
May 15 2013 | Pixart Imaging Inc. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / |
Date | Maintenance Fee Events |
Jun 01 2020 | REM: Maintenance Fee Reminder Mailed. |
Nov 16 2020 | EXP: Patent Expired for Failure to Pay Maintenance Fees. |
Date | Maintenance Schedule |
Oct 11 2019 | 4 years fee payment window open |
Apr 11 2020 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Oct 11 2020 | patent expiry (for year 4) |
Oct 11 2022 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 4) |
Oct 11 2023 | 8 years fee payment window open |
Apr 11 2024 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Oct 11 2024 | patent expiry (for year 8) |
Oct 11 2026 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 8) |
Oct 11 2027 | 12 years fee payment window open |
Apr 11 2028 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Oct 11 2028 | patent expiry (for year 12) |
Oct 11 2030 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 12) |